Book Reviews

Off-centered Leadership: The Dogfish Head Guide to Motivation, Collaboration and Smart Growth By Sam Calagione $25, Wiley After 20 years in business, Sam Calagione, the founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, has learned a thing or two. The book is largely a collection of interviews, seemingly transcribed from a tape recorder set on a table between... View Article

Business for Punks: Break All The Rules—The BrewDog Way By James Watt $26, Penguin Portfolio On Page 9, James Watt, the co-founder of Scottish brewery BrewDog, starts off by saying, “Be a selfish bastard and ignore advice.” Then, the self-proclaimed business book geek goes on offering insight, stories and, yes, advice gleaned from the almost... View Article

The Beer Geek Handbook: Living a Life Ruled by Beer By Patrick Dawson $14.95, Storey Publishing It’s cool to be a geek these days, and when it comes to beer, having the right knowledge will make you a better drinker. From glassware to special brewery releases, how to trade and more, Patrick Dawson provides often... View Article

Beer Safari: A Journey Through the Craft Breweries of South Africa By Lucy Corne $13.60, Penguin Random House South Africa In this handy, thoughtful and insightful guide book by local journalist Lucy Corne, it’s clear to see that South Africa is soon to be a major player in the global beer scene, thanks to its... View Article

Cookies & Beer By Jonathan Bender $19.99, Andrews McMeel Publishing Experienced beer drinkers have walked the cheese-pairing route and experimented with chocolates. Beer dinners with thoughtful menus are de rigueur and often go the route of classy over comfort. Now consider the humble cookie, a (usually) rounded sweet treat that can go from a big... View Article

Beer Bites By Christian DeBenedetti and Andrea Slonecker $24.95, Chronicle Books Thankfully we’ve moved past the age of chips, salted nuts or stale pretzels as the preferred bar snack. With so many breweries offering top-notch ales and lagers, the time has clearly come to elevate the bites we enjoy with beer. From finger sandwiches to... View Article

The Beer & Food Companion By Stephen Beaumont $35, Jacqui Small Before we arrive at the food, there is a history lesson in which the author, with a rich wealth of information and experience, focuses on the global drinking culture and food traditions. This gives a much-needed dose of knowledge to those who rarely look... View Article

Beer Pairing By Julia Herz and Gwen Conley $25, Voyageur Press Geeks get excited: This is the food book you’ve been waiting for. It’s a graduate-level book for the beer- and food-minded, examining raw ingredients; storage, glassware, and serving; and the nitty-gritty of color, nuanced flavor and fermentation. You’ll need a pencil, a notebook and... View Article

Pick up a mass-marketed lager and you might find that the beer won some award at some pompous 19th-century event. Now imagine that one of these 19th-century awards had continued to this day, surviving world wars and changing tastes in beer to remain a significant prize in the 21st century. You’d be describing what is... View Article